September 24, 2024: Happy Birthday, TrappedTogether!

September 24, 2024: Happy Birthday, TrappedTogether!

The game is now 2 years old! Quite a milestone! In this time, one could have created more than just one game!

But let me remind you that I’m working solo right now, and I have a full-time job. I can only dedicate my evenings and weekends to the game, so progress is slower.

A lot was planned. Less was completed than I originally intended, but still, over the past year, the game has changed beyond recognition!

So, what has changed over the past year?

In the first year of development, I built the skeleton of the game: a house editor, terrain editor, player controls, and zombie AI.

In other words, it wasn’t a game yet, but rather a sort of game engine.

The actual game only came into existence during the second year. I wrote a simple storyline and added levels. Now, there's a clear purpose and direction.

Previously, the houses were useless and lifeless. Now, they contain valuable food, and zombies can appear in them. Surprise!

And the biggest achievement – the release of the first version!
The latest release for Google Play can be downloaded on the Download page. Install TrappedTogether if you haven't done so yet! Give it a try and share your thoughts!

Plans for the coming year

Promotion

Right now, the main issue for TrappedTogether is promotion. There are currently only 4 active installs on Google Play, and that’s disappointing. I’ve spent money on Facebook ads, but the results weren’t very promising. Maybe I need to make short videos and create more appealing images. I’ll give it a try!

Monetization

Monetization is also on the agenda. No, I’m not planning to get rich off TrappedTogether, but if the game can generate some income, I could spend more on a designer, and perhaps even hire a second developer to speed up the process. As for how to monetize the game, I’m not sure yet. What do you think?

Video ads are not the way forward

Video ads are very popular nowadays, and in some games, you can’t even play without watching ads. It’s awful! That definitely won’t happen in TrappedTogether. Either the videos will only serve to speed something up, or they won’t be present at all.

Paid levels

There could be a few free levels, and if players like the game, they could pay to unlock the rest. I think it's most preferable variant for the current stage of development.

Paid equipment

For example, additional armor that absorbs some damage, or an axe instead of a bat, dealing extra damage. This works well in multiplayer games (which will come eventually), but it might not be very relevant in the current version.

What else

Superhero vs Zombies

I’m also planning to create a new fun, cartoon-style game using the same engine. The story will feature a serious character from the past... but I don't want to spoil it now.

Story-based TrappedTogether

Yes, I’m still working on a story-driven game, slowly writing dialogues. But I must admit, progress is slow. I doubt it will be ready in the next year.

Multiplayer TrappedTegether
The multiplayer version is almost ripe. I even have some server code ready. At first glance, it seems like everything is technically in place. But something crucial is still missing – interaction. I’m planning to implement a skill system where different characters have unique abilities, and survival would require several characters with various skills (it should be impossible to survive alone). I’m afraid I’ll also need to implement inventory and resources. In short... there’s a lot of work ahead. I hope to eventually get around to the multiplayer version. Let me remind you that TrappedTogether was originally conceived as a multiplayer game, but at some point, I realized it was too much for me to handle, so I started developing a simpler single-player version.